Touch down on Okinawa
by Buru-beri-chan
Summary: Rooming issues, tour buses and ghost stories. When Kurogin's class 3D goes to Okinawa for their senior trip and a native ghost story becomes a little too real there's just no telling what will happen.
1. The departure

**A/N:** Hiya guys, bet youre wondering what im doing ., or maybe youre just happy or something I dontk now. Eitherway imma say this flat out that this right here was not planned ahead of time. In other words I originally had never thought of this and hense had no intention of putting it up hense why it wasn't on the list on my Bio. Basically I was really happy with how Sukeban had turned out and you guys were great getting the reviews all the way to 54! So I thought it would be nice if I gave you guys this as a gift for taking the time out to voice your love (and pet peeves I'm greatful for those too) though the reviews. It's a mini,mini series only five chapters longs (I would consider a mini series 10 chapters) and it takes place around... March between chapters 18 and 19 not to thickly plotted or wordy i guess and if you can't already tell it's about 3D senior trip to Okinawa. So I hope you guys enjoy and you're all the absolute best. Thank you a million, million times as many times as i can possibly say thank you ^.^

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><p><strong>Touchdown on Okinawa<strong>

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><p>Umeki didn't think this was a good idea.<p>

She never generally thought any ideas thought up around her were not good ideas but this one topped the cake in bad ideas. Still...she put in the money for it so she might as well go.

"Nii-chan said he would take care of all the plants in the house while I'm gone" the teen spoke never once looking up from her wheeled bag as she folded clothes and packed them neatly and properly inside. "I'll be gone all week but I'll be home on Saturday so don't worry too much about me okay Papa?" she cast the picture of her father on the wall a quick smile before turning back to her suitcase and zipping it shut. She bid her father goodbye and quickly left her house with her suitcase in hand. Where was she going? Somewhere she shouldn't be going considering she was a lone female in a school of males but again she paid for it so she might as well go.

"sorry to make you wait" Ryu turned towards the front door as Umeki stepped out locking the door "you know us girls, packing more than we actually need" the pair chuckled

"Don't worry about it" Ryu remarked shoving his hands into his pockets "are you ready to go then?"

"Mm" the female nodded following Ryu through her front gate and down the street "but...where are the others?"

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><p>The four Kurogin students in question sat huddled together at the train station with a good half of the seniors of Kurogin. Their focus was on the bundle of chopsticks that Hayato was currently clenching tightly to his hand. One out of the odd two dozen sticks was marked red and all four were hoping to get their hands on that one marked stick. The whole class had been doing this for the past hour starting with 27 boys and 23 marked sticks eliminating those who picked a marked stick. Now it was just four boys and one stick, the one who picked it would be chosen. This was a matter of life and death...they <em>had<em> to get the red one.

"Alright" Hayato spoke up looking around at his friends "one at a time, we keep drawing until one of us gets the red one got it?" Tsucchi, Take and Hyuuga collectively nodded their heads to this and held their breaths as their leader took one of the sticks in-between his fingers and slowly pulled it out.

...blank

"_Damn_" He cursed while his friends silently cheered.

"Okay, okay my turn" Hyuuga eagerly, some might say _too_ eagerly, said reaching out but Tsucchi stopped him before he could.

"Hold on hold on we're going clockwise!" the tallest glared getting a glare back

"Says who?" Hyuuga complained crossing his arms as he did "why are you doing this anyway? You're dating Rica-Chan! Give them here-"

"Oil!" and so the calm, turn based settlement became a chaotic grabbing match. One would draw and curse at the blank and another would draw but there would be yet another blank this went on and the bundle of sticks never showed any signs of dwindling.

"This is _ridiculous_!" Take panted a little while later

"h-how many did you get?" Hayato added turning his attention to Hyuuga who shook his head indicating that he didn't know himself. They would never find the marked stick!

"...what are you guys doing?" the arguing boys looked away from their battle at the sounds of this new voice. Umeki stood beside Ryu staring down at the huddling boys both with eyebrows raised.

"Uki-Chan!" Tsucchi yelped when Hyuuga gave the boy a hard shove off him. The boy's eyes were bright with hope "you decided to come? Really?" Umeki in response scuffed crossing her arms and looking away.

"Well...I paid for it so..." whatever else the girl had said was drowned out by the cheering of her friends before her. Umeki rolled her eyes "what are you fools doing?" she repeated herself and ending their cheering.

"Well we're going to Okinawa for the week" Take answered, Umeki nodded. She knew this; why else would she be at the train station with a suitcase if she didn't? "The class can be divided evenly but..."

"...but?" Umeki repeated tipping her head

"Uki-Chan!" Hayato stood up staring hard at the girl "you have to choose between us!" what was he talking about? "Yankumi is rooming with the other female sensei and everyone else has a roommate but you! You have to choose between us f-"

"Ryu" Umeki didn't even let her boyfriend finish his sentence. She uncrossed her arms and grabbed the handle of her suitcase. It would be time to leave soon. The rest of the boys groaned loudly in disapproval at Umeki's answer but Ryu himself snorted out a laugh slinging his bag over his shoulder and moving to follow Umeki.

"Wait!" Hayato stopped them jumping in front of their path and holding his arms out. "y-you can't just decide like that!"

"...but you just told me I had to choose..." Umeki pointed out with squinted eyes "didn't you?"

"..." Hayato faltered "uh... Yea but-"

"Ryu" she repeated herself with a slight nod before looking to said boy "you don't mind do you?"

"No" he shook his head

"Wait!" Hayato stopped them again making Umeki rolled her eyes and glare at him.

"What now?" Hayato held out his clenched fist in his friends face.

"You have to pick one!" he stated answering Ryu's curious looks "if you get the marked one you can. We all drew a stick so you do too!" Umeki and Ryu looked at one another still generally curious before turning their attention back to Hayato. Behind him the rest of 3D looked on in expectation bundled up behind Take, Tsucchi and Hyuuga hoping that Ryu got a blank. "I doubt you'll get it though" Hayato added confidently, Ryu casually picked one of the sticks and pulled it up and to 3D's horror the end of the stick was marked red.

"Its red" the usually silent boy stated turning the stick in his hand.

"Are we done playing around?" Umeki questioned looking towards the rest of Kurogin gather around the incoming train "let's go boys" she directed at them before heading to the train herself, Ryu followed behind her and so did the rest of the class, though they dragged their feet as they did, but Hayato and the others stayed behind with downcast expressions.

"Why is he so damn lucky?" they collectively muttered in union watching Ryu take Umeki's bag into the train before she followed him. Honestly if Hayato didn't make it so obvious he was Umeki's boyfriend most would think that Ryu was instead.

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><p>"And here we are!" Hyuuga cheered fiddling with his camera as the high school students piled onto solid ground "a train and ferry later and we've now touched down on Okinawa, as you can see the view is amazing!" of course the boy wasn't focusing on the beautiful sea view that the others were casually looking at as they made their way off the ferry and towards the large coach buses. "Yes...<em>very<em> nice view indeed" Ryu nudged the boy whose camera was focused on a small group of girls not far from them "huh? Oh right right" Hyuuga smiled hurrying after his classmates.

"It's our class trip, Hayato, and despite popular belief I _actually_ want to relax" Umeki's calm, but clearly agitated, voice became clearer as the amateur cameraman pushed through the rest of 3D towards her. "Can we not argue about this? I'm not changing my mind"

"Give me one good reason" Hayato challenged to which Umeki scuffed at.

"I can think of a _list_ of reasons" she replied sharply.

"And here we have our lovely hostess of the week" Hyuuga smiled as said hostess came into view. "say hi to the viewers Uki-Chan" both Umeki and Hayato turned their heads in Hyuuga's direction, Umeki paled slightly immediately turning away from the camera and holding a hand up to further cover her face.

"What are you doing?" she growled "I still look like I just climbed out of bed! Go away!"

"Uki-Chan you _always_ look like you just climbed out of bed" Hayato pointed out with a laugh earning himself a glare from Umeki before the girl remembered Hyuuga with his camera and turned away again.

"Hyuuga get that camera out of my face!"

"Come on Uki-Chan just say hi!"

"No!"

"How about a wave?"

"_**No!**_"

"This is going to be an interesting trip..." Ryu couldn't help but remark stepping beside Hayato who hummed his agreements.

He couldn't agree anymore. 3D was crazy enough back home but to be all the way on the island Okinawa away from parents and the local authority that knew them it was anyone's guess what would go down this week. Add on Yankumi, the secret but subtly obvious Yakuza heiress, and then put the ill tempered henchman's sister Umeki in the mix and this trip was as toxic as that concoction that Ryu, Take and Hayato himself had ended up creating at Uki-Chan's house not long ago.

"Alright everyone!" Yankumi's voice traveled over the class as she motioned to the nearest bus "let's get on the bus!" she stepped back allowing her delinquent boys, and girl, to pile into the bus and quickly head to their first stop for today.

"Oi..." Take nudged Hayato as the lined up to get on "why's monkeyface still here wouldn't he get on one of the other buses?" Take was right; standing beside the bus was the head teacher glaring sternly at each boy as he entered. Did this mean he would be on the bus too? Hayato groaned at this realization.

"This trip is going to suck"


	2. Ditching Shuri Castle

Ditching Shuri Castle

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><p>Teenager weren't supposed to enjoy this part of class trips, Yankumi knew that well. All they did was drive around Okinawa looking at all the historical aspects of the island stopping at museums and ancient shrines and such even Yankumi could get bored of that. 3D, however, was having the worst luck when it came to their trip in this stage. It wasn't because the tour was boring or anything, actually the locations they stopped at were quite interesting, it was just that they had stopped at four different places and yet no one had set foot off the bus since they'd first stepped on. The class was growing restless; anyone could see that as their activities in the bus went from quiet, relaxed and uninterested to the activity similar to how they are in class. What could they do? Keeping them in the bus seemed to be the only way to keep the trip peaceful... Yankumi sighed rubbing her temple from where she stood at the door of the bus. She really hoped they could go into this grand castle, Shuri castle it was called, it would be nice experience for the class however as Head teacher Sawatari came running back to the bus looking panicked as he had the last four times she was certain they wouldn't be able to.<p>

"We should keep moving" he panted lowly once he got on the bus "there's another school here...natives...like 3D" who knew Okinawa had punks like Kurogin did, Yankumi could understand why Head teacher didn't want them in there, knowing these kids there would be some kind of confrontation.

"Oi, Yankumi!" one of her students called to her "are we getting off now?"

"A-anno..." Yankumi stammered before smiling weakly "Shuri castle seems to be closed today!"

"Huh?" the bus almost shook with the loud yells of 3D

"Everything is closed!"

"That can't be possible!"

Yankumi hated lying to them but she couldn't risk giving the head teacher a reason to expel anyone so she put on her best smile and sooth her angered students. Of course they wouldn't believe something was closed for a fourth time, these boys couldn't be that foolish.

"Everyone! Everyone!" she yelled over them but they continued to yell their protest to both Yankumi and head teacher Sawatari. "We'll stop by tomorrow how does that sound?"

"No way! We have free tomorrow!"

"listen!" the shrill voice of the head teacher yelled and surprisingly enough silenced the bus "just because you're upset about a few closed places doesn't mean you can act like..." he paused "well yourselves! You may not be in Kurogin but you're still Kurogin students! You represent our school so act like it!" after such a daring speech the bus fell into silence. Yankumi held her breath looking between the head teacher and her students. After what felt like forever of silence there was movement. "What are you doing?" Head teacher Sawatari spoke as Umeki sleepily stood up from her seat and soon made her way down to the front of the bus.

"Shuri castle is closed?" Umeki muttered softly be yawning and rubbing sleep from her eyes "what bullshit" she moved to step off the bus but the head teacher got in her way. She stared at him expectantly for a few minutes. "...Move"

"Listen Matsushima this place is closed! There's no point in getting off the bus so sit down!" he tried to be stern but the ever so sleepy looking tern did not flinch.

"...maybe I didn't make myself clear..." Yankumi watched as the head teacher's eyes and mouth grew in size at Umeki as she raised her head fully and was most likely giving him a very fowl look "...Move your ass... _Now_!" faster than lightning the head teacher jumped out of the way of the girl. She glanced over the rest of 3D "...let's go" and with that she stepped off the bus with her classmate bounding gleefully after her. Head teacher Sawatari scooted over to Yankumi as the class filed out of the bus in an orderly matter…hopefully they would stay as orderly once they were all off the bus.

"Yamaguchi-sensei" he spoke wearily to Yankumi, nothing else neither needed to be said nor was there really any time to say much for loud yells of highly pissed off boys had forced the adults to end their conversation sort and hurry off the bus. To their horror it appeared that 3D was already attracting trouble. The native thugs that the head teacher had spotted earlier were now surrounding the 28 students of 3D and Yabuki had a firm grip on the blazer of one of them while everyone just screamed and shouted around them.

"Everyone!" Yankumi yelled hastily pushing her way through the crowd of teen trying to get to Yabuki. If that hot head threw the first punch they were screwed. "Everyone calm down please' Yankumi tried to sooth the raising anger but it wasn't working.

"What's your problem?" the boy who's blazer Yabuki gripped. The two glared at each other angrily "is this your sister?" his eyes shifted to Umeki who stood just a foot or so behind Yabuki "I was just saying hi"

"Lay off my girl" Yabuki growled dangerously.

"Hayato" Umeki spoke up just as Yankumi finally got to them.

"Yabuki!" she sounded gripping the boy's hands and after a few hard tugs loosened his grip off the other teens blazer "knock it off"

"Is this your student?" the native scuffed at Yankumi fixing his blazer "Sensei you should learn to control you students better" his friend collectively laughed succeeding in pissing off everyone of 3D in one swoop. Ignoring all the yells of anger this guy went on to brush past both Yabuki and Yankumi and step right in front of Umeki. "How would you like it if I showed you around, ne?" this poor, poor man, if only he knew just what he had done.

Umeki was half asleep at the moment and though she wasn't fully sure what had started everyone yelling like that she knew two things for sure. The first was that it was still too early for any of these boys to have this much energy to cause such a mess and second well…it would better just act rather than think. Umeki reach up and gripped the boys shirt under his blazer and yanked him so his face was inches away from her own and now that their eye had met the boy could see perfectly how pissed off she was.

"I have a boyfriend" she informed him flatly "and if you are smart you'll respect that before _I_ kick your ass" the boy frowned for a moment and then went on to scowl at Umeki. She could see by the look he gave her that he was just daring her to hold up to her threat. Umeki raised an eyebrow high before curling her hand into a fist preparing to let the jerk have but then something happen. The look the guy was giving Umeki changed strangely, it almost looked like he recognized her. Umeki raised an eyebrow at him as he shook himself free from her grip and stepped a pace or two back giving Umeki more than enough space to walk towards the castle. Not wanting to feed the slowly dying rage and frankly satisfied by this guy's sudden reaction Umeki relaxed. "Let's go" she directed to her classmates glancing around at them before pushing past everyone and heading towards Shuri Castle after a moment's pause the others followed her.

"hey boss" one of the natives spoke in a low voice to his leader "that girl just now didn't she kind of look like...?" he fell silent when his leader nodded.

"I know" he muttered "leave them alone"

For a boring stop Umeki had to admit she was enjoying walking about Shuri castle. It was peaceful and there was an odd air about the place. Like those creepy abandoned place some might have in their home towns, the ones that were often said to be haunted. However this castle didn't hold an eerie air, it was more like a subtle awareness that something else was here and though it meant no harm to Umeki it was apparent that it had been here much longer than all in the area and these tourist, Umeki included, were simply guest.

"Ne, ne Uki-Chan" Umeki shoved her hands into her pockets not once looking away from the garden of white peony flowers she stood before.

"Hyuuga" she spoke

"Mm"

"Didn't I tell you to keep that camera out of my face?" she stated flatly. Beside her Hyuuga stiffened slightly before taking three steps back and lowering his camera just a bit. Behind him Tsuuchi laughed fanning his face cool from the Okinawa heat.

"Come on Uki-Chan loosen up a bit why dont'cha? Weren't you the one who said you wanted to relax on this trip" at his words Umeki glanced at him Take stood with the two of them but Hayato and Ryu were nowhere to be seen, probably somewhere else around the castle. The girl raised an eyebrow slightly but sighed and slowly nodded her head.

"you're right" she said with a small smile "so here's an idea..." her smile quickly morphed into an evil grin that obviously piqued the interest of her friends for they collectively leaned towards her with eager looks on their faces.

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><p>"Thank you so much young man"<p>

"No problem" Hayato smiled as the small, frail looking, old woman he had just been speaking to turned and carefully widen the distance between the both of them. He watched her go for a moment before turning his eyes to the item she had given him. It was small enough for him to close his hand into a tight fist around it and the woman's cryptic instruction on what he was to do with it didn't help. She had asked him to drop it somewhere late at night tonight why on earth would he do that and how was that going to help him? She had said it would help them both but again he didn't see how. Either way he had the item now so there was no use in wondering about it now, he had it now and the old woman was long gone at this point.

"Ne, Hayato" the 3D leader nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice behind him and he shoved his hands into his pockets so fast he was sure he almost punched a hole in them. Hayato whipped around and was greeted by Umeki staring at him with head tipped slightly, curious of his reaction to her calling him. She squint her eyes at him "Daijobu?"

"..Uh…M-Mm" he nodded his head rather than reply. That was close, she almost caught him. "..N-Nani? What is it?" Umeki paused in her answer still eyeing Hayato enough to make him shuffle nervously under her sharp stare. She looked him up and down for a minute before a smile graced her face and she reached out to him, oh no! She saw! Hayato stiffened quickly watching with wide eyes as Umeki closed the gap between them and looped her arm through the one Hayato had kept deep in his pocket with his fist tightly clenched around the small item, even though it was smooth he could feel it imprinting it's leaf and flower pattern on the palm of his hand still he held onto it tightly.

"Come on lets go" she chirped to him pulling him in a direction simply smiling in response to his confused expression, go? Where? Were they leaving already? But they had just gotten off the bus! As if reading his internal whining Umeki let off the cutest giggle Hayato had ever heard come from her "We're not going to the bus" she informed him "We're getting outta here"

"….huh?"

Apparently what Umeki meant was skip out on the trip all together. The rest of their five man gang was quickly gathered up and when Yankumi and the Head teacher weren't looking they hurried around the bus and practically took off running like rockets away from the castle. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that Umeki had come up with such a plan; usually it was them trying to convince her to skip out on things like class. Within minutes of losing sight of the castle where their class was the five sat around eating Yakitori grinning each time Hyuuga held up that camera of his. After Yakitori the group went to an amusement park almost clear on the other side of the island, really it was amazing how fast these teens could travel unsupervised, this stop was the more interesting ones that would later prove to be useful to the boys later.

They went on the pirate ship ride, a couple of roller coasters that weren't that thrilling but fun enough, they teamed up and played bumper cars, though Ryu sat out for this since there were five of them and that would uneven the teams, then they played every man, and girl, for themselves. After getting a brutal lesson on who was master of the bumper cars from Take the group finally clambered their way to the ride they had saved for last: the haunted house.

It was at that point that a so far eager Umeki reverted to her old grumpy attitude opting not to enter the indoor coaster. Though no one at that time knew why they eventually did once they dragged her on with them.

"This was a bad idea" Umeki muttered beside Ryu when darkness surrounded them and the coaster rattled to a start. With Hayato in the seat across from her she settled for shuffling close to Ryu and glaring around the darkness in an ever so tense manner. "I knew I shouldn't have let you guys talk me into this"

"Relax Uki-Chan" Tsuuchi comment drifted through the darkness "it's just a stupid ride, it's not scary at all" but how wrong he proved to be a moment later. When silence finally came to the group again the loud noise of whirling gears reached their ears and the sound of wheels rolling down a nearby track joined it. Suddenly a light flashed on to the left of the cart where Umeki sat and everyone turned their heads to look. Under the new light the 3D girl had become a ghost pale in a matter of seconds, her eyes grew to a size none of the boys thought was possible and her mouth hung open wide. Looming over her by whatever had slid it down to them was the grotesque figure of a samurai... or at least it looked like a samurai based on his red armor and helmet the rest of him was tattered and decayed and his half sunken in eye stared right at poor frozen Umeki.

"Go back!" the skeletal corpse spoke ominously to her "go back before it's too late! The princess she...she'll kill you all!" that was all it took. Umeki inhaled deep and was shrieking seconds later in a high pitch shrill sound that could break any ear drum within ear shot. The coaster slowly wheeled on but Umeki didn't stop screaming for the ride had turned itself so the continued to look at the samurai. He continued his warning until he was yanked back violently into the darkness; his yells joined Umeki's screams in a last warning "Please! Save yourselves! Before it's too late!"

"Stop the ride!" Umeki yelled shaking her head wildly "I want to get off-AAAHH!" she screamed out when the cart gave a slight jerk and suddenly started spinning. While her classmates were busy laughing Umeki turned to Ryu having her arms find their way round his waist and buried her face into his jacket. The cart spun on for another minute or so before slowing to a stop and slowly wheeling on its way.

"Daijobu?" Ryu muttered to Umeki who lifted her head and shook it.

"Iie, Iie... I want to get off now" she whined in a shaky voice. The lights began to dim on at this point allowing the students to take in their surroundings. The surroundings looked almost exactly like Shuri castle but there was a dim purple hue to the area. "I want to get off!"

"oh there's no getting off" this time they all jumped at the sudden response the cart slowed to a stop before another figure but this one, unlike the manmade dummy of a dead samurai, was very much alive and as the lights made a ominous spotlight on her it was easy to tell she was a very beautiful woman. She was dressed in an old, tattered Kimono that despite its decaying look looked as lovely as the woman who wore it, add on the rusted jewelry she wore and it was obvious that she had been royalty a long time ago. An evil glare was on that beautiful face as she slowly approached the cart and surveyed its riders. "What are you doing here?" she snarled "do you want me to kill you too?"

"No no" Umeki pressed her face into Ryu's jacket again shaking her head as she did.

"You girl, look at me...Look at me!" at the screaming of the woman Umeki raised her head almost to the point of tears now. The woman glared hard at Umeki "you..." she started but stopped suddenly and there it was again. In the dim lighting the shaken Umeki saw a look of recognition cross the woman's face much like that of the boy at Shuri castle as she gazed down at Umeki but as quickly as it came it went away and she was back in character "you!" she pointed a finger at Umeki who squeaked in response "he left me for you! I know it! Come to me! Your beauty! I want your beauty! Give it to me! Now!" the woman reached to touch Umeki's face and that made the poor teen go ballistic. She began shrieking again pushing herself against the other side of the cart and away from the woman.

"Iie! IIE! Get away!" Umeki screamed out just as the cart jerked again and whizzed away from the woman who screamed in reaction.

"Don't let them get away!" she screamed and that was when all hell broke loose. The cart began spinning again and figures of demon spun past all around the students, lights flashed and demonic laughter danced with Umeki's screams as they went spinning deeper into the horror ride. By the time the ride was over and the 3D students were off Umeki found herself sprawled on a bench nearby with a wet cloth over her eyes and Tsuuchi, whose lap she had her head rested on, fanning her. Ryu and Hayato busied themselves by assuring the manager of the haunted house that Umeki was okay while Take and Hyuuga were off looking for food and water for by the time they had gotten to the end of the ride poor Umeki had fainted and only now began regaining consciousness.

"I...hate..._all of you_" Umeki muttered weakly to Tsuuchi who chuckled in response.

It was generally agreed that the group had had enough of the amusement park so the hopped on the nearest train and took a short ride it took to get to the nearest beach. The sky was painted a beautiful mixture of pinks and purples and orange and the ocean sparkled reflecting light off its surface. This by far was Umeki's favorite stop of the many they had done that day and after kicking off their shoes and stripping off their socks and jackets the teens began scurrying off to the shore of the beach cheering loudly as they chased the retreating waves only to collectively scream and scamper back up the way they came when the same waves came crashing back up to land nipping coolly at their feet. A water fight followed this activity and after Hyuuga asked a couple passing by to take a picture of the five teens together waving their shoes in the air and cheering the five broke off to pursue whatever they wanted to do next.

* * *

><p>"this sure beats being stuffed in a bus all day" Hayato sighed stretching his arms up and over his head as he walked along side Umeki along the shore of the beach, the sky was starting to darken as the sun retreated behind the horizon, they'd have to head to the osen soon and hope Yankumi didn't notice them missing. Umeki hummed her response nodding her head as she did.<p>

"I had fun" she replied smiling up at Hayato who smiled back at her.

"Really?" she nodded "even after the haunted house" Umeki scowled and shoved her laughing boyfriend in to shoulder.

"Shut up" she grumbled "it's not funny"

"Yes it is" Hayato replied still laughing "well you know...beside you fainting... That wasn't funny" he draped an arm over Umeki's shoulder as if to assure the girl she was safe and she smile gratefully at him. After a little walking they doubled back and walked about the shops near the beach hoping to find their friends among the crowds of people. There was something repeating itself in almost every shop that the couple past and Umeki quickly took notice of it.

"People sure do like Peonies around here" she muttered and Hayato nodded as they walked. Every store and stand so far didn't fail to have something that had to do with Peonies in them weather it was the name Peony or the very flower itself. The pair slowed to a stop at one of the stands and Umeki leaned forward to look at the young man's merchandise. "they're all so pretty" she hummed gazing at the hair clips with their lovely flower designs one in particular caught her attention, it was a silver clip with a sparkling white Peony attached to it, it glittered with little white gems along the outline of it and in the petals but it looked expansive. Umeki sighed leaning back and nodding to Hayato to tell him she was ready to keep walking but Hayato too appear fascinated with the peony clip.

"Sir" Hayato spoke up digging into his pockets or his wallet "how much for that one?"

"Hayato no" Umeki gripped his wrist and shook her head "it's too expensive, I don't need it" she didn't want to be one of those girlfriends that made their boyfriends get these ridiculous gifts for them besides Hayato probably didn't really want to waste his money on a stupid clip but Hayato shook his head and focused on the shop keeper. The handsome young man looked between the two of them and smiled.

"Normally ones like this are very expensive" he confirmed Umeki's word with a nod. His eyes locked on Umeki's and he smiled secretively "but for such a lovely lady I'll give this to you for a very cheap price young man..."

"Arigatou gozaimasu" Hayato paid the man and gently picked up the clip and clipped it into Umeki's hair "there we go" he said grinning at the scarlet hue to the girls face "perfect"

"...you didn't have to..." she muttered bashfully nodding to the shopkeeper as they walked on but Hayato shook his head.

"Anything for my adorable girlfriend" he replied and chuckled at the face she made. She let go of his hand and bashfully walked ahead of him. Hayato laughed more and quickly jogged after her not wanting to lose her in the crowd. The pair met up with their other friends and quickly made their way to the osen that they would be saying at. To their luck their class just happen to be climbing off the bus right then. They snuck their way into the group and made their way into the inn with cunning smiles on their faces.

"Guys" Hyuuga spoke up when the group now stood with their bags in the lobby of the osen waiting to go to their assigned rooms. "Let's meet up later tonight and tell ghost stories" to this Umeki almost immediately went pale.

"No way!" she growled at him.

"Awe but Uki-Chan!" Hyuuga whined as Umeki shook her head. The boy poured "but a worker at that haunted house told me a really go local ghost story too..."

"Well I'm not going to listen to it" Umeki grumbled

"Well...if you're too scared to..." Tsuuchi muttered loud enough to earn a snarl from Umeki "don't worry about it Uki-Chan, that lady ghost kept saying she was going to rip your face off, I would have fainted too if I were you. You're not a coward"

...coward?

"I'm in" Umeki growled


	3. Local ghost stories

**A/N:** Hi guys, I'm pretty sure i know what you're thinking 'It's June and she still hasn't put up _nevermind rules_ is she going to put it up?' I definitely will be putting _Nevermind Rules_ up, though later than i originally expected, _Touch down on Okinawa_ and _More to life_ are kind of looking like they''ll be wrapped up at the same time and i don't have much to do this week so i will definitely be trying my best to wrap them up this week so i can dive into _Nevermind rules_ the following. Eitehr way both ghost stories in this chapter _are not_ real, just thought i'd point that out but anyone is free to twist them and retell them if you'd like just know...they _aren't_ real stories...

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><p>Local ghost stories<p>

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><p>"Aaaaah this feels so <em>good<em>" Umeki sighed in contempt stretching her arms above her head and then sank into the warm water of the hot springs she was in. After such a long day of doing so much, no matter how fun it was, she was generally glad to have some time to herself just relaxing like a girl. Besides she needed to relax as much as possible for after this and some food it would be the locals ghost story that Hyuuga had been told. She had to be honest, she wasn't at all looking forward to it but she wasn't a coward... Usually...

"Geez those boys" Umeki grumbled as she let herself sink to her chin in the soothing hot water furrowing her face in frustration. "I try to relax and have a good time with them for once and they go and drag me to a haunted house, count on boys to do something so stupid. I don't want to do this..." Umeki would have ranted on but judging by the sounds of it she was no longer alone, she quieted down as two older women joined her in the bath.

"Aaah this is so nice" one of them sighed much like Umeki had moments ago.

"See didn't I tell you?" her company hummed pleasantly "it's a perfect get away for all of life's troubles"

"Hmmm is this where senpai always disappears to?"

"Mm!"

"I can see why. Did you see all those boys earlier? It must be a class trip or something" the first, and apparently younger, woman sighed dreamily while Umeki rolled her eyes in the steam of the bath "they were so cute definitely not from around here"

"probably from Tokyo or something, the ones I saw kept rambling on about that ghost story, you know the one I'm talking about Mio?" the older hummed out. Mio didn't answer at first probably drawing a blank at first before she nodded her head.

"Yes! The story about the Peony princess of Shuri castle right?" her senpai hummed her confirmation of this question. "I remember that story, everyone talked about it when we were in high school" she giggled nostalgically "I think Sato-kun told it the most. Actually, did you hear he convinced the park nearby to make a haunted house based on it?"

"Really now?"

"Mhm and he's the manager of the ride, he tell everyone the story he told me the other day"

Umeki listened closely to this woman's words. Could she possibly be talking about the same haunted house that she had gone to today? Umeki bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head slightly, she couldn't be.

"He's making the place so scary. I was just talking to him today and he said that the worker playing the Peony princess scared some poor girl so badly she fainted halfway through the ride" Mio went on unaware that the girl she spoke of was literally a few feet from her and currently sinking to her nose in embarrassment.

"That Sato" the older woman chuckled out.

"Anno..." the two giggling woman stopped and looked Umeki's way as the girl glided towards them "I'm sorry for eavesdropping but...could you tell me that ghost story you were just talking about?"

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><p>"Are you ready?" the door to their room slid open and Ryu walked in and saw Umeki dressed in her Yukata and fanning her face slightly from where she sat. The hot bath mixed with the steaming food served a short while ago and the Okinawa heat definitely gave her justice to fan herself. The girl looked up and nodded slightly. Ryu crossed his arms and smirked; even in this heat she was pale with fear. "Are you sure you want to go?" the observant boy questioned "we don't have to"<p>

"I'll be _fine_!" Umeki snapped crossing her arms as she did and standing up. She was so moody so it was perfectly obvious that she wasn't fine but Ryu would say nothing about it or she'd just get angry with him. Shrugging Ryu moved past Umeki and across their room.

"Alright" he commented "go on ahead of me I'll be there in a minute. They're in Hyuuga and Tsuuchi's room" Umeki waved a hand at his words dismissively and walked towards the door he watched her slide the door open and she stared long and hard into the dark hallway before her.

"...anno..." Umeki looked at Ryu from over her shoulder "I think...I think I'll just wait for you..." Ryu couldn't help it; he chuckled, so much for fine.

"Is everyone here now?" Umeki grumbled her response as Hyuuga stepped out of her way and let her shuffle into the room with Ryu right behind her they others were all sitting in a circle looking up at her as she slowly sank to the ground and sat beside Hayato. She wasn't generally as afraid as she was before mainly because the women at the bathhouse had so kindly told the story to her.

The story was about a princess who lived in Shuri castle many years ago, she fell in love with a samurai who served her father and they would meet in the peony garden every evening for a walk around the garden. Life was good until war raised between them and a neighboring village, the samurai was sent away to fight swearing to the princess that he would return and marry her. The princess believed this and as a sign of their promise the princess gave him an incense box claiming it to be her favorite and that he must give it back giving him more motives to return to her.

Every day that her love was gone the princess walked the peony garden at night with lantern in hand hoping to catch a glimpse of her love, but the samurai never returned still she wandered the garden night after night after night. Time past and the princess grew ill with despair but still she walked the garden with her lantern until one night the princess collapsed and died.

It was later discovered that the samurai died in battle and so could not return to his love. According to the story the two lovers now spend eternity trying to be reunited with one another. It's said that the princess, called the Peony Princess for her name had be lost in the pages of history, is reborn again and again returning to Shuri castle at one point of time in her many lives hoping that she will be reunited with her love reborn as well. The samurai, as the story says, when he died vowed to remain attached to the land and search for the princess to return her incense box and stay by her side until she joined him in spirit.

There was nothing scary about this tragic story at all and so Umeki wasn't as terrified as she had originally been. Hyuuga slid the door shut and joined his friends on the floor.

"Are we ready?" he asked looking about at each of his friends.

"We're ready" snapped Umeki "get on with it or I'm going to bed"

"Alright, alright" he said "so long ago there use to be this princess that lived in that castle we went to today and a samurai that was her bodyguard. The princess loved this samurai and he loved her

"But one day the samurai had to go off to war and he swore that he would return to the princess so she waited and she waited and she waited but the samurai did not return. The princess, believing that the samurai had found another and ran away with her, was filled with hate a jealously.

"She went mad with this hatred and sold her soul to a pack of demons. This night the princess snapped fully and with the new power she gained from the demons she sold her soul, she single handedly slaughtered everyone who was unlucky enough to be inside the castle including her parents and a number of villagers nearby.

"The princess engulfed the village in a thick malice and ripped anyone who came close to shreds." Hyuuga paused in his tale and looked Umeki's way "she often targeted young pretty women, she'd accuse them of stealing her love and rip of their faces in an attempt to take their beauty and bring her lover back. Pretty girls like you Uki-Chan..." Umeki scowled at the boy scooting closer to Hayato, who obviously didn't complain about this action, the boy easily wrapped an arm around her. This wasn't funny anymore, where the hell did he learn this story because it was way different from the one Umeki had heard.

"Is that it?" Take spoke in an ever so timid way making his fear apparent. Hyuuga shook his head.

"No not yet. Years after the princess went mad the Samurai and his comrades returned to find their home infested with demons and their princess brimming with insanity and hate, she easily slaughtered the army of warriors before engaging the samurai she loved in battle. The samurai killed the princess and with her last dying breath she vowed "I will return in a new body and have my revenge on Shuri castle!" she yelled "I shall kill all who cross my sight!" and response the samurai said "than I shall find you in all of your lives and kill you again and again" they say that now they both wander Okinawa forever at war with each other.

"The princess, true to her word, prays on innocent people unlucky enough to encounter her, they say the last thing you see is the light of the princess peony pattern lantern that she used long ago to search for the samurai "why are you here?" you can hear her say before she kills you

"The samurai, though it hurts him to do so, also kept to his word. He could find the princess because of her love for the peony flower, in all of her lives she wears something with a peony on it and knowing that he kills her before she can act out her revenge." something with a peony on it? Umeki put a hand to the peony hair clip she wore. That couldn't be.

"I'm going to bed" Umeki hummed nervously getting to her feet and leaving the room as fast as her feet could take her without running. Her obvious fear sparked a terribly cruel idea to come to her classmates, with the exception of Ryu who of course wanted nothing to do with it. Late that night the boys gathered outside of Umeki and Ryu's room. Under Hayato's stubbornness they waited until the boy left the room for the bathroom leaving Umeki by herself. Slowly began scratching at the door moaning as they did.

"Princess..." Hayato groaned out nudging Tsuuchi who stifled back a laugh from beside him "...Princess" he moaned a bit louder than before and then turned to his friends, "don't just sit there, say something" he whispered harshly

"Princess..."

"Why did you do this to use princess..."

"Come to us..."

On and on the boys scratched and moaned at the door sure that within Umeki was terrified beyond her wits. With luck she might even come into Hayato's room out of sheer fear! This would be great! They continued on like this until Take suddenly stopped, no one noticed this immediately though but when Tsuuchi did he gave the boy a light nudge.

"What are you looking at?" he whispered looking down the dark hall like Take did.

"...did you hear that?" Take questioned straining his ears. Tsuuchi squinted in doubt straining his ears as well and then he heard it, a faint whisper of a voice. Someone was speaking from within the darkness of the hall.

"...are...you...re?"

"What is that?" Tsuuchi muttered patting Hyuuga and then Hayato to get their attention.

"wh...y...are you...her...?" the boys stopped their moaning and scratching collectively gazing down the hall. There was a faint glow in the distant, a lantern by the looks of it, and thanks to this glow the boys could see a ghost pale hand carrying the lantern. "W...hy...are you...here?" the voice of a woman hissed dangerously through the hall to them and finally after a moment the lantern raised to the point that they could see the face. Red liquid ran down her face and neck and her pale face fixed the boys with a glare "Why are you here?" she snarled at the boys. Silence followed momentarily before the boys ran down the hall screaming their heads off. The woman was left alone in the hall holding her lantern and staring in the direction the boys had gone. She took in a small breath "have you ever seen them run that fast before?" she glanced over her shoulder at the boy behind her; he snorted before shaking his head walking around her to face her.

"Blood...nice touch" he commented she shrugged.

"Strawberries work wonders if you know what you're doing" she replied and chuckled wiping at her face to get the juice off. She smiled brightly at the boy, which in the light turned out to be Ryu, "what do you think?" she chuckled "did I do well?" Ryu looked over his shoulder in the direction his friends had run and laughed.

"They won't be back anytime soon" he replied and slid the door open casually "should we go to bed now...Peony-Sama"

"Right away" Umeki laughed lowering the lantern in her hand, she'd have to return this thing tomorrow it was really late. Ryu stepped into the room and Umeki moved to followed but pain shot up her leg from the bottom of her barefoot. "Itai!" she hoped back and looked down at the floor. She stepped on something green; she picked it up and looked it over. It was a cute little green glass incense box with flower designs on it. How did it get there? Umeki held it up to the light of the lantern taking in its every detail, for a plain old incense box it was very pretty... looking up and down the hall Umeki shrugged her shoulders and entered her room sliding the door behind her.


	4. Spirited away

Spirited away

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><p>With today being the last day of the trip the students of Kurogin were naturally given free rein over their schedule since tomorrow it was back home though each was given a pamphlet of suggested locations. For most of the morning the gang debated what they would do all day, Hyuuga suggested going back to that haunted house ride but after the boys encounter with the vengeful ghost of the Peony princess aka Umeki no one agreed to this option. Finally Umeki made a suggestion of her own.<p>

"why don't we go back to Shuri castle?" she said casually fingering her short locks of hair as she did "we did ditch that day so I'd like to go back and actually get a look at the place."

"n-no way" Take responded shaking his head "you remember the story! That evil princess could be lurking around there" he placed his hands over his face "I don't want my face to be ripped off..." he muttered

"It's just a ghost story" Umeki pointed out rising an eyebrow at the now palling faced of her friends. She smirked "you act as if you'd _seen_ her ghost already" she had to suppress a laugh when the three boys sitting across her exchanged looks of horrified recalling. "Ryu" Umeki hummed looking beside her at the boy who nodded in response to her call "did you hear any screaming a few nights ago?...you know...that night after we went to that amusement park?"

"...now that you mention it-"

"_Fine_ we'll go!" Hayato bellowed grumpily to the satisfaction of Umeki. She smiled brightly at the horrified expressions of the boys. Perhaps she over did it when she scared them...

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><p>"Young man is that your sister over there?" Hayato followed the pointing finger of the cook at the stand he stood before. Umeki was the person at the end of this old cook's finger too busy taking pictures of the mountains that loomed over head to notice she was the subject of someone's conversation. Shuri castle turned out to be not as comfortable as the first visit for the group. The boys, Hayato included, couldn't relax while they were there. They were too busy keeping an eye out for that scary princess to enjoy the castle. Finally the uneasiness became too much to take and Hayato made the group leave. After Shuri castle the five Kurogin students split up to places of their own interest, Hayato and Umeki wandered off together on what Hayato called a date but Umeki called an outing. Hayato watched his girlfriend, was it just his imagination or did the sun just seem to hit her perfectly from where she stood. Lowering her camera from her face Umeki shielded her eyes from the sun as the clip Hayato had bought her sparkled under the light. Hayato turned back to the man and shook his head.<p>

"No" he answered "she's my girlfriend"

"Ah, you should keep an eye on her" the old man spoke turning back to his work as he did "you don't look local so I would guess you wouldn't know but young woman like her often go missing in these parts"

"_Huh_?" Hayato faced the man fully now. Missing? He couldn't help but think of the ghost story, if the princess was real then the samurai had to be real too! "What happen to them?" Hayato asked "were they ever found?" the old man nodded.

"_of course_" he replied "they're always found a couple days later wandering the mountain trail dazed and confused" he finished up the takoyaki and packaged it "they say a spirit roams the mountains and lures women up there, no one knows why or why the spirit let's them go. Spirits usually lure the living for one reason or another" the man rambled on, Hayato nodded curiously to this "I for one think it's lookin for someone" he offered the packaged food.

"Who do you think they're looking for?" Hayato asked taking it and paying for it. The old man shrugged his shoulders.

"can't say for sure" he said "perhaps a lost love, I'm sure you know how those tragic love stories go" the old man chuckled and so did Hayato before thanking the man and turning around to call to Umeki but that was just it...

...Umeki was gone!

"Uki-Chan?" Hayato stayed rooted to the spot looking from left to right, he didn't see her!

"Something wrong young man?" the old man spoke peeking past Hayato. Hayato ran over to where Umeki last stood, all that was left of her was her camera that lay on the ground. Hayato picked it up, the screen revealed the last picture taken.

"Uki-chan..." he muttered gazing at the picture that showed an image of Umeki standing in the open path leading up to the mountains. "Umeki!" Hayato took off for the path; no damn samurai ghost was going to take his girlfriend!

"Wait! Wait! Young man!" Hayato skidded to a stop and looked back, the old man came hurrying towards him his shaking hand holding out a lit lantern. "it will be dark soon, take this with you"

"Right, thanks"

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><p>Meanwhile elsewhere Umeki found herself walking along a dirt path under the shade of the woods. Where was she? How the hell did she get here?<p>

"...what the _hell_?" the girl muttered rubbing her eyes that for whatever reason felt heavy with sleep. The last thing she remembered she had been taking pictures of the mountains waiting for Hayato. Umeki stopped walking and placed a hand on her head trying to think of any possible way she could have gotten wherever she was.

_The sun had peeked out from the clouds in the middle of one of Umeki's pictures making a bright glare. She pulled back from the camera and covered her eyes in hope of blocking out the sun. What a bummer, the sun probably just ruined a good picture... Umeki checked her pictures over just to make sure but to her surprise she didn't see the bright light of the sun in her camera she caught someone standing in the clearing that leads up to the mountain. Normally there would be nothing wrong with that but this person... Umeki tipped her head at the picture and examined the person, it was a girl. She had to be at least Umeki's age but she didn't dress like she was from this time. She wore a deep red and brilliant gold kimono and her hair was held up by what looked to be a red ribbon braided to look like a peony. In the picture she held up a lantern and looked around almost nervously. Was she an actress for some reenactment group? Umeki recalled looking up to see this strange girl with her own eyes. The two of them locked eyes and then...and then..._

Umeki groaned as her memory generated nothing but fuzz as to what happen after that. All she recalled was feeling dizzy and then... Here she was...

"Where the hell is my camera?" Umeki muttered noticing her camera was gone. Maybe she dropped it somewhere down the path. Umeki was about to turn back the way she thought she had come from but that was when she saw it, that girl! Umeki met eyes with her, she stood perfectly still in her lovely kimono and her blank expression before she turned ever so slowly and raised her lantern high and walked away from Umeki. "Wait!" Umeki called stumbling over her own feet before running after the girl but she had vanished in a matter of seconds leaving Umeki to run in the direction she went hoping to catch up.

She blindly chased the girl farther up the mountain until the sun had set and the darkness of night left Umeki in a panic. She felt around darkness holding her arms out in front of her incase she ran into a tree or another person or something. She couldn't have counted on having to watch her footing too. Suddenly the ground crumbled from under her feet and Umeki screamed as she found herself dropping sideways and quickly tumbling downward a moment later. It was too dark and she was falling too fast to know for sure where she was falling. Umeki grunted as she slid past tree branches and through bushes that scratched at her, suddenly her head collided with what could only be assumed was a rock and Umeki was out like a light.

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><p>Hayato cursed loudly after he tripped over a fallen tree branch he didn't see. It had gotten dark out faster than he had expected it to and now the 3D leader was walking almost blindly through the dark with a lantern, why the old man gave him a lantern and not a flashlight was beyond him at this point, calling out the name of his girlfriend and hoping she would respond. He was getting nowhere so far, either Umeki was too far along the trail or she had actually been... Hayato shook his head of this thought. No, it was just a stupid ghost story originally meant to scare the crap out of Umeki. There was no vengeful princess or ghost samurai wondering the moutons luring young woman away and killing them! That old man had said it himself! The woman who went missing always turned up eventually. Hayato didn't have a few days though and know Umeki the girl was probably in some kind of trouble right now, she could be seriously hurt walking around in the dark like this. "Umeki!" Hayato called out squinting his eyes to the darkness hoping to see something- anything!<p>

That was when he saw it, a sparkle of something reflecting the light from the lantern Hayato held. He approached it and when got closer his eyes grew in size. Lying in the middle of the path was the peony hair clip, the one Hayato had last seen on Umeki's head. "Umeki..." he muttered true worry etching itself onto his face, a moan responded to him making the usually tough boy almost jump out of his skin. A pile a branches and bushes alongside the path moved after another moan rang out through the silence. Something flopped out of the pile falling beside the clip it was...it was a- "a hand!" Hayato almost yelled in terror, his legs were just about ready to turn tail and run away screaming but his worry for Umeki kept him rooted to the spot and even urged him forward. It could just be her, gathering up a slowly dwindling courage the boy reached out a shaky hand and yanked back the mass of debris his fingers had circled around. "Oh god Uki-chan" Hayato almost immediately set the lantern in his hand down as he took it the image of his girlfriend. Her head was bleeding somewhere leaving a line from the right side of her temple to left and to the ground and there cut all across her face. Hayato gave her a hard shake "Uki-chan... _Umeki_!"

Umeki moaned again as consciousness slowly came back to her. Someone was shaking her and yelling at her. What the hell did they want? Stop it, that hurt! Everything was hurting. Umeki winced as her head have a painful throb and she actually stopped to register the person yelling at her.

"Uki-chan!"

"_Yamero_" she groaned out to the person making them stop their horrid yelling. "You're making my head hurt" she felt who ever this person was release her shoulders and hold her face in their hands calling her name again. It took her a bit of an effort but Umeki did open her eyes and until the dim light provided she locked eyes with a worried looking Hayato. Upon seeing her open her eyes a relieved smile came to the boys face.

"Thank god" he breathed bending down and kissing Umeki on her forehead before pulling back and examining her. "Are you okay? What happen to you?"

"I...fell" Umeki responded weakly following Hayato's stares as he looked around them and finally stared at the hill beside them. A long train of broken branches and over turned soil was enough evidence to tell the couple that Umeki had fallen down from somewhere up that way. That was one hell of a fall that was for sure.

"Are you okay?" Hayato asked again.

"No" Umeki shook her head

"What's wrong? What hurts?"

"I'm laying on a rock" Umeki answered moodily pushing Hayato off her and rolling over from her side onto her back and glaring at the rock only it wasn't a rock. Hayato reached over Umeki and picked the green incense box up. "Hey" Umeki barked weakly "that's mine" her's? How did she get this? Hayato didn't even realize he'd lost this, all be it the point of having it was to lose it in the first place according to that old lady who'd given it to him, he rolled it in his hand holding it out of Umeki's reach.

"Where'd you get this?" he questioned

"I found it" Umeki answered "it was laying on the floor outside my room. Give it back I like it" she sat up and snatched it out of his hand.

"Glad to see you're well enough to be in a sour mood as usual" Hayato remarked but judging by Umeki's face she was pretending he hadn't. Relived that she was okay, Hayato got to his feet ready to get the hell out of there "can you stand?"

"I think...ah!" Umeki pushed herself up only to fall back down and grip her right leg. There was a long, deep looking gash running along the side of her calf. Umeki wouldn't be moving from this spot on her own. Umeki hissed as the pain shot up her leg from the cut.

"I'll go and get help" Hayato said after staring at the cut for a minute. Wait what? Umeki acted almost instinctively reaching out and grabbing Hayato by his jacket with a tight grip before he could get far.

"Wh-what?" she stared at him bug-eyed shaking her head wildly "no! Don't leave me here"

"Uki-chan I can get help faster if I'm not carrying you back down the mountain" Hayato explained but Umeki refused to let of his jacket. She wasn't ashamed of admitting she was utterly terrified of sitting in the dark by herself in the mountains, be brave all you want but after all Umeki had been through these past few days even _she_ had to admit she was scared. Hayato must have seen it in her eyes because he turned and faced her fully "I'll leave the lantern here how does that sound? That'll make it easier to find you when I come back up"

"But what about you?" Umeki replied her grip growing tighter if possible "it's dark, you could get hurt out there and then we'd both be stuck out here! And worse we'd be separated!" Hayato sighed; Umeki wasn't making this easy... He watched her gripping his jacket tight with her left hand and gripping that box with her right just as tightly-wait! The incense box!

"Here" Hayato said kneeling before her and wiggling the glass item out of her hand "I'll take this with me. You like it right? I'll get it back to you when I come back I promise" why did that sound so familiar... Umeki loosened her grip and before she could stop him Hayato was running off into the dark of the night.

_As a sign of their promise the princess gave him an incense box claiming it to be her favorite and that he must give it back giving him more motives to return to her._

That's it! This was just like that damn ghost story! Umeki frowned at this thought; did that mean Hayato would die out there and never come back? And Umeki would die here next to this lantern? That was tragic...

Somewhere in the distance a twig snapped making Umeki almost shriek jumping out of her skin. She looked over her shoulder in the direction of the sound in absolute terror. It didn't help that she could see a speck of light slowing making its way towards her. Oh god...

_They say the last thing you see is the light of the princess peony pattern lantern that she used long ago to search for the samurai "why are you here?" you can hear her say before she kills you_

"Why are you here?" a voice rang out from the source of the light. Umeki almost immediately shrieked as the light drew closer and closer.

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><p>Hayato was practically out of breath by the time he had finally gotten to the entrance of the path. He had to find help fast because something was definitely wrong, he heard Umeki scream a minute ago. He slowed down to a stop to catch his breath at the entrance resting his hands on his knees.<p>

"Are you alright young man? Did you find your girlfriend?" Hayato looked up, it was that old man from earlier the one who gave him the lantern. He stood just before the entrance and made no moves to step further though he did look like he wanted to, it was as if something stopped him from passing onto the dirt path. Either way Hayato was on a mission.

"I did" he nodded "you've got to help me. She fell and she's hurt and she's bleeding really badly! I just heard her screaming a second ago!" the old man's eyes grew in size after hearing this and he nodded.

"Just a minute, I've got a first aid" he turned to get it but stopped short when he spotted the incense box in his hand "what's that you have there? Let me see" Hayato eyed the man strangely as he reached out and snatched up the item and looked it over "young man...where did you find this?"

"Does it matter?" Hayato couldn't help but glare impatiently at the old man "my _girlfriend_ is up in those mountains by herself _bleeding_!" he reminded him.

"Oh yes of course"

The old man quickly got his first aid and with the incense box in his free hand he practically flew up to mountain path like no old man Hayato had ever seen before. It took all he had to keep up as the sped towards to dim glow of the lantern farther up the mountain. Actually it took them less time getting up there than it took Hayato to get down and it was all because of this guys speed. He ran like an eager dog whose master finally let him out of the house. In the blink of an eye Hayato found himself making out the image of Umeki sitting on the ground beside the lantern but she wasn't alone like when Hayato had left her. Sitting beside her was and almost exact replica of Umeki. There were a few differences sure; this girl's hair was much longer and black, she had it held back out of her moon pale face and she wore a red and gold kimono. Other than those detail she could have been Umeki's twin! She had a lantern of her own resting on her lap.

"Umeki!" the two girls looked in Hayato's directions at the sound of his voice and Umeki's face light up.

"Hayato!" he pushed past the old man who stopped just a foot in front of him. Hayato dropped to his knees pulling Umeki into him tightly.

"Are you alright?" her held her face in his hands, she nodded.

"You came back" she stated

"Of course I came back, I promised I would didn't I?"

"Don't _ever_ do that again!" Umeki scolded him teary eyed "you left me here all by myself! What if you fell like I did! It would be all _my _fault! If this lady hadn't shown up I don't know how I'd sit still and not worry about you!" Hayato couldn't help but chuckle watching his girlfriend wipe at her eyes "it's _not_ funny" she sniffled.

"Gomen gomen" Hayato smiled "I'm here now...actually...who is this?" he was referring to the lady that looked so much like her. At the mention of the woman the teens both looked at her. She was standing now with her lantern in her hand; she smiled down at them and nodded meekly.

"Princess..."

"Hayato" Umeki gripped his jacket and gazed past him "who is that?"

"You don't recognize him? It's the old man from the stand by the entrance" Hayato raised an eyebrow at Umeki; maybe she hit her head harder than he thought. Umeki shook her head never tearing her eyes from the old man.

"That's no old man..." she pointed and this time Hayato looked. She was right, that was no old man. Standing where the old man once did was a much younger looking man with old loping clothes just like the lady. There was a swathed Katana strapped to his side and his eyes were fixed on the unnamed woman. What the hell was going on?

"Princess..." the man spoke again stumbled towards the woman before dropping to his knees before her and hanging his head in shame. "I'm sorry" he apologized sullenly "I failed you..." the woman, or princess, smiled at him wrapping her arms around his neck in an odd hug. "if I had been faster than..." he refused to look at her "forgive me"

"... Did you bring it?"

"Ha?" the man finally looked up at the princess in response to her question. She held out a pale hand to him.

"My box" she said "it is my favorite...did you bring it with you?" it took the man a minute to understand but when he did he held up his hand and placed the glass incense box in her hand. She curled her hands around it and smiled pulling the man to his feet before taking his hand. "Let's go" she smiled sweetly at the man and he smiled back. Hayato and Umeki found themselves wrapping protective arms over one another gazing at the couple in awe as they stared down at the teens. The princess smiled at them as she and the man shined a dim blue. "...Arigatou" were her last words before the two lost human shape turning into blue orbs. Hayato recalled watching with Umeki as they slowly drifted into the sky side by side.

The next thing he knew he was waking up to the relieved shout of his friends and... _Yankumi_?

"w-wha?" he rubbed his eyes awake taking in his surroundings. He sat on a bench just outside the entrance to the mountains. Umeki lay beside him with her head on his lap fast asleep, he stretched his arms over his head and yawned letting them drop back around Umeki who groan out and snuggled deeper into him. It was really dark out, had they fallen asleep? So that had all just been a weird dream?

"Yabuki!" Yankumi skidded to a stop before Hayato scanning him over for any sign of injury "we've been looking for you two! Have you been here all this time?"

"...Huh?" Hayato sounded dumbly

"Don't 'huh' me and look!" Yankumi fussed "Ume-chan is hurt! What happen?"

"Ha?" Hayato followed Yankumi's stares, what did she mean hurt? That was when Hayato saw it. Umeki hadn't stirred from her sleep but that's not what Hayato had noticed. Her leg, a white bandage was wrapped tightly around her calf; the same calf Hayato recalled her cutting. All of Yankumi's fussing finally woke Umeki up.

"Yan..kumi?" she yawned drowsily "what are you doing all the way in the mountains?... What happen to the princess?"

"Princess?" Yankumi repeated before looking to Hayato for answers but the boy simply stared at Umeki in shock.

Maybe it _wasn't_ just a dream...


	5. The Tragic Truth

**A/N:** okay guy this is the last chapter of _Touch down Okinawa_ which mean what you've long waited for is up next! You've got it _Nevermind rule_, Alright so a lot is going to be going down for me in the next couple of weeks and I do owe you guys an explanation and some info. First things first I'm going to put _Nevermind rules_ up TOMORROW. Further details will be explained after you enjoy this last chapter so enjoy okays? ^.^

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><p>The Tragic Truth<p>

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><p>"How's your leg?"<p>

Umeki looked away from the lovely sea view before her and to her left. Hayato stood with his hands in his pockets staring down at her. The two of them hadn't said much to one another after Yankumi had found them late last night but it seem silently agreed that something unnatural had happen to them in the mountains last night but the strange was this morning… neither of them could recall exactly what had happen to them. It was like grabbing at water when they tried to recall the events until they wondered if it had just been some weird dream. Umeki knew better though and she knew Hayato did as well, they had proof that they needed: Hayato still had the Takoyaki from that man's stand even though the stand and the old man who worked at it had vanished and no locals could recall there ever being one, and then of course there was Umeki's injury. She glanced down at her leg tightly wrapped up with a bandage.

"Its fine" she answered looking back at him as he lowered himself into the seat beside her "It hurt a little to walk but other than that I'm okay"

"Maybe I should carry you home"

"Don't joke around like that" Umeki shot at him sharply glaring at him but Hayato, as always, just laughed at her before the two fell into silence.

"I remember something…" Umeki spoke up quietly after sitting in silence for what felt like a long while. Hayato looked at her but said nothing allowing her to continue. She stared out at the waves crashing against the ferry that would take them home. "I remember that I was by myself in the mountains and there was this lady who came and kept me company…. At first I thought she was an old lady…she looked like one when I first looked" Umeki chuckled to herself; she could recall feeling surprised that this lady hadn't been offended by being called old. "She told me a story…"

_From her fuzzy memory Umeki recalled sitting on the ground with only the light of her lantern and the lantern of this woman's. The woman's face was a blur in Umeki's memory and she laughed lightly as Umeki recalled herself telling the woman that she gave off the appearance of being elderly at first sight._

_"I believe your boyfriend thought I was an old woman as well" she responded "He called me Oba-chan when I first met him"_

_"You've meet Hayato?" inquired Umeki and the woman nodded_

_"At Shuri Castle. I gave him an incense box…a little green one, have you seen it?" Umeki knew the box she spoke of, it was the very one Hayato had taken from her with the promise of giving it back to her when he came back with help and she told this to the woman. Even though she couldn't see the woman's face through the blur Umeki was sure there was a look of satisfaction as if she had planned for this to happen._

_"Shall I tell you a story while we wait?" she ask, Umeki nodded. She'd do just about anything to keep from worrying about Hayato getting hurt out there. The woman settled herself on the ground beside Umeki. "A long, long time ago a princess lived in Shuri castle as I am sure you have heard since you have been here. It is true that she fell in love with her body guard, a fine young samurai, but there it a general misunderstanding these days as to their fates"_

_"You mean that the samurai died in war and the princess died waiting for him?" Umeki raised an eyebrow at this and the woman nodded. So it was true what Hyuuga said, the princess really did go mad and slaughter everyone. Umeki couldn't help herself; she scooted away from this woman who looked so much like ancient royalty. The woman chuckled easily noticing Umeki's movement._

_"She did not go mad either" she said easing Umeki's nerve just a bit "no, no. She was to marry a prince from the mainland, a man of great social standing of who the princess was not fond of at all. It was an arrangement made by their fathers but the princess decided her own fate. She arranged to run away with her samurai lover, the night before she was to depart for her wedding she escaped the castle into these very mountains paths and waited for him to come"_

_"How did he know to meet her here?" Umeki asked_

_"The incense box" the woman answered "a green one that was her favorite, she gave it to her love and told him to show it to one of her most trusted servants. The servant would then lead him to the princess and they would run away together" it sounded romantic even Umeki had to admit. Forbidden lovers defying all laws put up against them to be together. It sounded like the princess actually had a happy ending unlike both ghost stories told about her…but why did this woman sound so sad? "The king discovered his daughter missing before the samurai could leave the castle. He was blamed for her escape and killed on the spot for his treason" she explained sadly "The princess waited, and waited and waited but when morning came and her love did not come to her she did the only think she thought she could do" The woman looked over her shoulder and Umeki followed her stares. She stared off to the other side of the path where the cliff went from slanted to vertical and Umeki understood: she killed herself._

_"That's…tragic" Umeki muttered and the woman nodded her head looked back at Umeki._

_"They say that to this day the Samurai tries to come up this path and meet his love but he cannot. He lost the incense box and that keeps him from coming up the path even though he can see the light from her lantern wandering the paths at night." The woman continued her tale and Umeki kept listening._

_"…will they **ever** be reunited?"_

_"Perhaps, if the right couple find themselves lost in the mountains. A man and a woman who, together, fight all that tries to separate them. It said that only a man and woman like that can find the incense box and give it to the samurai" Umeki snorted slightly at this; that Rule her and Hayato out. They fought sure but it wasn't for each other it was almost always with one another._

_"I hope they are reunited soon" Umeki voiced smiling up at the woman who chuckled at her._

_"I think they will"_

_"Umeki!"_

"Do you think those two were…" Hayato didn't finish his sentence but he didn't need to because Umeki knew what he was asking. She nodded her head feeling a small smile cross her lips as she did. The pair sat in silent awe after this revelation just holding hands and staring at the sea as if they were any other calm couple.

"We're gonna be leaving soon" Umeki spoke up when she noted that more boys of Kurogin were gathering along the dock. She stood up still holding Hayato's hand and she nodded her head in the direction of the ferry. "Let's go" she said Hayato nodded standing up as well

"Hold on" He tugged at her hand when she tried to pull him toward the boat. Umeki looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. Hayato dug his hands into the pockets of his jacket and pulled out her Peony clip "you dropped it last night" he informed her holding the glittering jewelry and clipping it into her hair.

"That was up in the mountains" Umeki pointed out, she may have had fuzzy memory of last night's evens but she did know that much; they had gone by the entrance yesterday and she had the clip but when they woke up later on it was gone.

"It know that" Hayato nodded running his fingers through her hair after he fastened the clip.

"….wait a minute… is that where you were this morning?" Umeki stared at Hayato in disbelief. Her boyfriend simply grinned at her and took her hand.

"Come on Uki-Chan" and with that they moved to join their friends.

"Okay, okay my turn"

"We're going clockwise!"

"Why are you doing this again? You're dating Rica-Chan!"

"Oil!"

"This is _ridiculous_!"

"The fact that you guys are doing this again is ridiculous…"

"We all can't be lucky like you Ryu!"

"...what are you guys doing?" Umeki tried not to sigh out when they found their friends crouched together arguing with one another. They all looked up at her and in Hyuuga's clenched hands Umeki could see a bundle of chop sticks and she sighed. These idiots were doing this again. Idiots. "What is it about now?" she asked raising an eyebrow to them. Hyuuga stood up and faced Umeki with a determined expression.

"Uki-chan"

"Mm"

"You have to decide between us!" Hyuuga stated motioning to him and then the others "Who are you going to sit with on the train ride home-"

"Hayato" Umeki didn't wait for Hyuuga to finish. She grabbed her bag from the pile of 3Ds and headed for the ferry "honestly guys how old are you? Quit playing around like this" Hayato couldn't hold back the grin coming to his face as he trailed after Umeki.

And so the students of Kurogin and their teachers filed onto the ferry and watched with depressed eyes as it pulled away from Okinawa thus ending their weeklong trip away from home. Umeki for one couldn't wait to get home and back to being her grumpy self. Relaxing was fun and all but it just took so much energy to act so stupidly, she wondered how the boys did it 24/7. The 3D girl sighed to herself leaning against the rail of the ferry and watching as some of the people along the dock waved goodbye to the students if only to humor the one who's yelled and waved goodbye to no one in general. Many of the natives chuckled to one another as they have a slight wave and then went on about their business but one couple in particular waved on even as everyone else went back to their own business. Heh, they kind of looked like-…. Umeki stood up straighter and gave the couple a good look but they were gone.

"What is it?" Hayato mused from beside her, he was leaning against the rail with his back against it and looked at her when she moved so suddenly. Umeki shook her head.

"Nothing…it was nothing"

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><p>Like I said above, <em>Nevermind rules<em> will be up TOMORROW, I'll also be putting chapter one up on the fourth of July but after that I will be gone for a while. I'll be going with my father to Vermont for a while and he hasn't told me when we'll be coming back but I don't get strong internet up there so I won't be able to update. However, I will be checking for any messages or question you guys might have for me while I'm away. I hate to be away after I promised to give you guys _Nevermind rules_ almost a month ago but I do need this . I feel like I'm rushing my stories now and the thought that I'm not making my stories as good as they can be is stressing me out a little, I need some rest. Either way don't forget to review and message and such, you know I love hearing from you guys! And don't forget about my formspring account, I've provided an easier to find link to my account on my bio page and again you don't need an account to ask any questions. I've also have a summary, banners and character pictures of _Nevermind rules_ on my bio now so check it out and please let me know what you think, your opinion matters and usually fuels the speed of updates.

Thanks you guys, you're all awesome! 3


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